Fans

Fan's conservation

The Fan, an exceptional object

Fans are among the most complicated works to restore because they have specificities that one must absolutely know and master.Indeed, it is a question of:
– saving their quality as a jointed /system work while keeping the flexibility of their sheets.
– ensuring the compatibility of the restoring materials with each of the materials present in these composite works.
– ensuring the discretion of the interventions thanks to chromatic alterations of a great precision, for these works are, most of the time, true miniaturist masterpieces .
– controlling the impact of the performed interventions on both sides of these works, in order to prevent their potential transfer from one sheet to an other

Moreover, fans are very specific of their time and country of origin and their manufacturing techniques attest these historical specificities.
Before undertaking the restoration of a fan, it is imperative to know its history in order to respect all these marks which authenticate and value it.

You will find here some illustrations of the main interventions in the restoration of fans according to their types.

– tying up the feathers to the mount
– changing the string holding the feathers together

System screen fans

– restoration of an unwinding fan
– restoration of a “magic lantern” fan

Restoration of mounts for fans

Folded Fans

Folded fans are composed of a rigid mount holding a folded sheet. Their restoration can consist in reinforcing their tears, filling the gaps on their sheet, repairing some missing folds… We complete all these acts of renovation with a painting alteration , called a chromatic alteration which enables us to make these interventions as discreet as possible.

Removal of numerous adhesive tapes of various kinds, followed by gap filling and illusionist chromatic retouching.

Atelier l’Utile Zéphyr
Restauratrice : Yolaine Voltz

Recto after conservation

Fan before conservation

Fan before conservation

Fan after restoration

Fan after conservation

Restoration of a fabric fan leaf

Coll. privée

Atelier l’Utile Zéphyr
Restauratrice : Yolaine Voltz

Fan after conservation

Fan’s leaf before conservation

Fan’s leaf after conservation

Tape Removal on a fan leaf

Removal of an adhesive tape, followed by gap filling and illusionist chromatic retouch.

Atelier l’Utile Zéphyr
Restauratrice : Yolaine Voltz

Before restoration

Fan after restoration

Conservation of a fabric fan leaf

Coll. privée

Atelier l’Utile Zéphyr
Restauratrice : Yolaine Voltz

Hand fan after restoration

Fan before restoration

Fan after restoration

Brisés Fan

Brisés fans are made of rigid strands, connected at the top by a ribbon or wire. With time and use, this ribbon wears out: it tears, peels off and its frieze disappears. The restoration of these fans consists in replacing the unsuitable ribbon by another one, whose colour and patterns are made to measure for each work.

Brisé Fan conservation

Coll. privée

Atelier l’Utile Zéphyr
Restauratrice : Yolaine Voltz

Brisé Fan before restoration

Brisé Fan after restoration

Brisé fan restoration

Coll. privée

Atelier l’Utile Zéphyr
Restauratrice : Yolaine Voltz

Brisé Fan before restoration

Brisé Fan after restoration

Feather Fans

Feather Fan conservation

Coll. privée

Atelier l’Utile Zéphyr
Restauratrice : Yolaine Voltz

Feather Fan before conservation

Feather Fan after conservation

System screen Fan

Screen fans consist of a handle supporting a rigid sheet. They can be made of fabric, paper, feathers or a combination of different materials. They can also present “optical systems”, playing with the transparency of the materials or/and their articulation: they are then “magic lantern” or “rolling” fans.

Restoration of the mechanism of a System scrolling fan

Coll. privée

Atelier l’Utile Zéphyr
Restauratrice : Yolaine Voltz

System screen fan before treatment

System screen fan after conservation

Restoration of the mechanism of a system scrolling fan

Coll. privée

Atelier l’Utile Zéphyr
Restauratrice : Yolaine Voltz

System screen fan before conservation

System screen fan after conservation

Conservation of the impregnated paper on a fan known as a “magic lantern”.

Impregnated paper is the ancestor of what is known today as “tracing paper”. A substance (oil, resin, wax…) is added to the paper which makes it transparent, allowing the play of light to reveal certain elements when the fan is placed in front of a light source.